: serving to dismiss or reject someone or something : having or showing a disdainful attitude toward someone or something regarded as unworthy of serious attention
He responded to the question with a dismissive wave.
In the past, Westerberg had been dismissive of Bob's playing, but he says relistening to the early records gave him a new perspective. Bob Weir
dismissively adverb
Writer Tom Fontana's violent, realistic drama debuted five years ago and uninitiated viewers still dismissively call it "that prison show on HBO." Ian Rothkerch
These are not people who speak dismissively of the brain's capabilities. Brad Leithauser
dismissiveness noun
The work of feminist scholars, both individually and collectively, has been greeted in some quarters with impatience, irritation, dismissiveness, even contempt. Cullen Murphy

Examples of dismissive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Trump likes to pay lip service to free expression, but the case of Mahmoud Khalil is yet another example of his Administration’s repressive and casually dismissive attitude toward free speech. Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2025 Neither Heart Eyes nor any of the slasher films the writing team has worked on before are dismissive of what’s come before. Richard Newby, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2025 And the danger of being dismissive is cutting off another point of view. Lucy Dolan-Zalaznick, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2025 India's central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has been dismissive of cryptocurrencies, and India has moved to restrict their use. Roger Huang, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dismissive

Word History

First Known Use

1645, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dismissive was in 1645

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Cite this Entry

“Dismissive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dismissive. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

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